Tractor attachment



Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOE METTENBURG, OF MOUNT HAMILL, IOWA.

TRACTOR ATTACHMENT.

Application filed September 29, 1922. Serial No. 591,335.

To aZZ whom t may concer-n:

Be it known that I, Jon METTENBERG, a citizen oi' the United States,residing at Mount Hamill, in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Tractor Attachment, ot which the following isa specification.

rIhis invention aims to provide a simple means whereby the steering heeloi' a vehicle, for instance, a tractor, may be locked at the will of anoperator in any desired position, thereby to take orf the operator, someot' the strain incident to steering the vehicle.

It is Within the province oi' the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which thc inventionappertains.

lith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescrij'itiou proceeds the invention resides in the combination andarrangement ot parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope ofwhat is claimed changes in the precise embodiment oi the invention showncan be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in elevation, a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention, parts being in section;Figure 2 is a plan of the bracket, parts appearing in section; Figure 3is a plan of the keeper.

The numeral 1 marks the steering column of a vehicle, wherein isjournaled a shaft 2 carrying a Wheel 3, the spokes of the wheel beingmarked by the numeral 1.

The numeral 5 marks a bracket disposed transversely of the steeringcolumn l and provided with an elongated slot 6 through which passes afastening device 7, which may be in the form of a U-bolt, the slot 6permitting the bracket 5 to be adjusted with respect to the steeringcolumn 1, the fastening device or U-bolt passing about the steeringcolumn 1. The bracket 5 is supplied at its rear end with a transversearm 8 which is downwardly extended below the bracket 5, as shown inFigure 1. In the upper portion of the arm 8 there is a threaded opening9, the arm being supplied at its lower end with rearwardly extended earsl() carrying a pivot element 11, whereon a latch lever 12 is mounted forvertical swinging movement, the lever 12 being supplied inter mediateits ends with an opening. An adjusting device such as a screw 15, isthreaded at its inner end int-o the opening 9 of the arm 8, the screwbeing supplied at its rear end with a turning head 16. A. compressionspring 17 surrounds a portion of the screw 15, one end of the spring 17abutting against the arm 8 of the bracket 5, and the other end oi thespring abutting against the latch lever 12. A compression spring 1.8surrounds a portion of the screw 15, the forward end of the spring 18abutting against the latch lever 12 and the rear end of the spring 18abutting against the turning head 16 of the screw 15. The screw 15passes slidably through the opening 14 in the latch lever 12.

A keeper 19 is secured to the steering wheel 3 and cooperates with thelatch lever 12. The keeper 19 comprises an arcuate body 21 having acurved guide slot 22. At its ends, the body 21 of the keeper 19 issupplied with depending lugs 23, equipped at their lower ends with seats24, adapted to receive certain of the spokes 4 of the steering wheel 3.Fastening devices 25, which may be hook bolts pass downwardly throughthe lugs 23 and engage certain of the spokes 1 of the steering wheel 3,the fastening devices cooperating with the seats 24 to hold the keeper19 on the steering Wheel 3. A rider 26 is mounted for adjustment on thebody 21 of the keeper 19 longitudinal or circumferentially thereof, andis supplied in its rear edge with a seat 27 Wherevvith the latch lever12 is adapted to coact under the iinpulsc oi the springr 18. The rider26 has a depending projection 28 received slidabl in the guide slot 22or' the body 21 of the keeper 19. In order to hold the rider 26 inadjusted positions on the body 21 ot' the keeper 19, a. fastening device29, which may be a bolt, passes downwardly through the rider 2G and itsprojection 28, the fastening device serving to bind the rider in adjusted positions on the body 26 of the keeper. It will be obvious thatwhen the latch lever 12 is engaged with the seat 27 of the rider 26, thesteering wheel 3 cannot be turned, a large amount of strain being taken0E the operator. The rider 26 may be adjusted circumferentially of thebgdy 21 of the keeper 19 and, thus, the position in which the wheel 3 isheld by the latch lever 12, may be adjusted. The. spring 18 holds thelever 12 engaged with the seat 2T ot' the rider 2G under all ordinaryworkingr conditions but if a dangerous strain should he thrown upon thesteering' nieehaniain, the spring 1H will yield and will permit thelatch lever l2 to ride ont oi' the Seat 2T in the part QG, therebypreventing; a breaking' oi any ol' the parte Shown in the drawings. Whenthe operator desires to release the lateh level' l2 troni the seat QT inthe rider Lt; the rerew l5 may be rotated. to (leere-ase the compressire ettort of the Spring i8; the springa 17 expanding to swing the,lateh lever ont ot engagement with the rider.

l. ln a deriii'e ot the eines described. woniprieing a bracket: a latchmounted teswiingr on the bracket; a keeper; a rider mounted foradjufstinent on the keeper: the lateh eoat-tingY with the rider; andnieana i'or holding the rider in adjusted poeitioiw on the keeper.

2. A devicey otl the elass dearribed eoinprisinglr a braeket; a latehmounted to swing on the braiket.: au adjusting ileriee Inovahlelongitudinally in the bracket; a eo1npression spring interposed betweenthe bracket and the lateh; a eonipresaion spring abutting' against theadjusting! member and against the latch; and keeper ineehanism wherewiththe lateh eoaete under the inipnlse ot one ot' the said springe.

3. A device ol the class deseribed i-oinprising a braeket; a keeper: alatch pivoted to the brzuhet and eoaeting with the keel'ier; anadjusting derive earried by the braeket and apring cooperating with thelatch; one olI said .springe being' compressed; when the adjustingnieinher is advanced; to hold the latch engaged with the keeper, and theother ol' said springs reacting' to dieengrage the latch 'troni thekeeper when the adjnetini; derive is retracted.

Al. device of the elass described eonipliszinv a keeper int-hiding anarcuate bodyi; a rider adjustable. on the body eireuinterentiallythereof; means tor holding the rider in adjusted positions on thekeeper; a liraeltet: a latch pivoted to the bracket and eoarliujj withthe rider; Springr means `for holding the lateh engaged with the rider;aprilieV means: l'or moving the latch out ot engagement with the rider;and an adjusting' derive earried by the bracket and eoaeting with botholI said Spring ineans to reliel the lirst speeied spring Ine-ane. andto render the aeeond spring means :retire whereby they second springmeans will disengage the latch from the rider.

ln testimony that l elaiin the foregoing as my own, I have hereto alixedmy signature in the presence of two witnessea.

JOE M ETTEN lli RC.

Ylvitnessea J. A. bi'rL'GKenaBERGEN, New. A H'rneammunnoen.

